Public Sector Equality Duty

Since the Equality Act became law in 2010, public bodies have been required by law to uphold a duty to promote disability, race and gender equality.

In April 2011 this was replaced by a single public sector equality duty (known as the PSED or the equality duty). This new duty extends to all the aspects of a person’s identity – known as ‘protected characteristics’ – that are protected under the Equality Act 2010: race, disability, sex, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment.

From April 2012 schools have been required to publish information annually, showing how they comply with this equality duty. Schools are also required to publish objectives linked to this duty at least once every four years. In complying with this duty, we are therefore committed to promoting strategies, opportunities, policies and procedures that will help us:

eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation;

remove or minimise disadvantages;

take steps to meet different needs;

encourage participation when it is disproportionately low;

advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and

foster good relations across all protected characteristics – between people who share a
protected characteristic and people who do not share it.